2004 Ohio State Football Season Outlook – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 23, 2004
By all accounts, Jim Tressel and the Ohio State football staff have put together four solid recruiting classes. With the loss of 26 seniors from last year’s 11-2 team, those recruits will have every opportunity to strut their stuff this fall.
The Buckeyes, who have posted a combined record of 25-2 the past two years and have won back-to-back BCS games in that span, must replace six starters on offense and seven on defense.
The list of graduates includes quarterback Craig Krenzel (24-3 in his two years as a starter) and Michael Jenkins (the school’s career leader in receiving yardage with 2,898 yards) on offense, and end Will Smith and strong safety Will Allen on defense. Both of the latter were first-team All-Americans a year ago. Also gone is B.J. Sander, the 2003 Ray Guy Award winner as the best punter in college football.
But there are also some very talented players returning, including, but not limited to, All-America place-kicker Mike Nugent, center Nick Mangold, offensive tackle Robbie Sims, tailback Lydell Ross, fullback Branden Joe, defensive end Simon Fraser, linebackers A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter and defensive backs Dustin Fox and Nate Salley. All were starters last year and played significant roles in OSU’s success.
Additionally, numerous other players saw extensive action in reserve roles last year and picked up valuable game experience. Mix in a talented group of redshirts and a couple of highly regarded transfers and the Buckeyes would seem to have the makings of another very competitive team as Tressel begins his fourth year at the OSU helm.
As always, the key will be how the group gels and comes together as a unit. And judging by his first three years at Ohio State, few people are better than Tressel when it comes to getting a team to mesh.
The Offense
The offensive line will require the most re-tooling. Offensive coordinator Jim Bollman must come up with three new starters on the interior as well as a new tight end to replace dependable Ben Hartsock.
Sims (6-4, 310) and Mangold (6-4, 290) will be the building blocks inside. Both played extensively as true freshmen in 2002 when the Buckeyes captured the national championship, and both were regulars last year. Mangold is a master of his trade and is being mentioned as a candidate for the Rimington Award.
Sophomores T.J. Downing (6-5, 305) and Tim Schafer (6-5, 290) and redshirt freshman Kirk Barton are the candidates at right tackle. All three are big, physical, intelligent and hard working. Schafer is the only letterman in the group. He saw action, albeit briefly, in eight games last year. Downing made gigantic strides in the spring and has gotten the coaches attention with quick grasp of what is going on. Barton is very green, but very good. But he missed almost all of spring practice, first recovering from shoulder surgery and then, after he was cleared to play, a sprained ankle, so he is still somewhat of an unproven commodity. Look for two of the three to settle in on the right side and the third to backup Sims on the left side. As a whole, it is a very impressive group.
Senior Mike Kne (6-4, 303), junior Andree Tyree (6-3, 290) and sophomore Doug Datish (6-5, 295) are the leading candidates at guard. Kne lettered last year at tackle, but is equally at home inside. He is expected to open the season at right guard. Datish, one of the top young linemen on the squad, will probably get the nod at left guard. Tyree will be the backup on both sides, and can also play center.
R.J. Coleman, John McLaughlin, Steve Winner and true freshman Steve Rehring provide solid depth. The mammoth Rehring (6-8, 320) enrolled in the winter and took part in spring ball.
Hartsock has been a fixture at tight end for the past two years and will not be easy to replace. But the Buckeyes have a standout in 6-5, 250-pound junior Ryan Hamby, who excels both as a receiver and as a blocker. OSU’s No. 2 tight end a year ago, he finished the season with 18 receptions for 190 yards and three touchdowns. He is a talented player and is poised for a big year.
The No. 2 spot this year will likely go to either senior Jason Caldwell or versatile sophomore Stan White. Incoming freshmen Chad Hoobler and Rory Nicol will get a look, too.
“This is the most depth we have had on the line in my four years here,” said Bollman. “It is an athletic, intelligent and tough group.”
With the heady Krenzel and backup Scott McMullen gone, the job of running the offense will fall to either Justin Zwick or Troy Smith, both of whom are third year sophomores.
On the heels of a record-setting career at Massillon Washington high school in northeast Ohio, the 6-4, 225-pound Zwick was one of the most highly recruited quarterbacks in Ohio State history. Bigger and stronger than he was as a prepster, he has a strong arm, an extremely quick release and a deft, accurate passing touch. After two years of understudying Krenzel, he also has a thorough understanding of what the coaches expect from a quarterback.
The 6-1, 215-pound Smith is blessed with a rifle arm and is an elusive runner who can scramble out of trouble and turn a potential loss into a big play. His stealth-like moves make him especially dangerous in the open-field. Recruited as an athlete, he has worked hard to learn the Ohio State system. In doing so, he has projected himself into the picture for playing time.
The Buckeyes’ third quarterback is 6-5, 235-pound Todd Boeckman, a true freshman from St. Henry, Ohio (the home of former OSU signal caller Bobby Hoying). Boeckman took part in fall drills last year but did not enroll until Winter Quarter. The coaches like what they have seen to date.
With Jenkins gone, 5-11 sophomore flanker Santonio Holmes will become the Buckeyes’ “go-to” receiver.
Holmes was a joy to behold during the last half of the 2003 season, hauling in 29 passes for 497 yards and seven touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ final six games, including a pair of TD grabs against both Michigan and Kansas State. He finished the season with 32 receptions and is the Buckeyes’ leading returning receiver. He is quick, elusive, fast, has great hands, runs precise routes, can separate from a defender and has a knack for picking up yards after the catch.
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Sophomore FL Santonio Holmes. |
If he stays healthy, Holmes will add his name to the OSU records book before his career comes to a close. And if he plays the entire 2004 season, the way he ended the 2003 campaign, he will be the Buckeyes next All-American wide receiver, joining Cris Carter, Terry Glenn and David Boston in a very select circle.
Roy Hall will take over at split end for Jenkins. The 6-3, 228-pound sophomore played in all 13 games last year and had six catches. He is the Buckeyes most physical receiver and has demonstrated the ability to catch the ball in a crowd. As he acquires experience and learns to use his physical talent, he will become an integral part of the Ohio State aerial arsenal.
Senior Bam Childress also returns. A former Ohio Player of the Year, the 5-10 Childress is coming off his best year and should be the Buckeyes third receiver in 2004. He is the Buckeyes quickest player and is exciting to watch in the open field, unless, of course, you are an opposing defensive player.
Other receivers to keep an eye on include senior John Hollins (who is also a valuable member of the special teams) and redshirt freshmen Anthony Gonzalez and Devin Jordan. Hollins has paid his dues and hopes to have his best year as a senior. Gonzalez appears to have a bright future.
Lydell Ross and fellow senior Maurice Hall are expected to shoulder most of the load at tailback. Both were hurt much of last year, but are healthy now as they head into their senior seasons.
Ross was hampered by a sore shoulder and a turf toe early in the year, but still finished the 2003 season with 826 yards and 10 touchdowns. Once he did get back in the lineup, he topped the 100-yard mark in three of the last six games and led all rushers in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl with 82 yards. The 6-0, 225-pound Ross has rushed for 1,864 yards and 22 touchdowns during his career. He also has caught 25 passes.
Hall started the first four games last year, but saw only limited action the second half of the season because of injuries. The 5-10, 205-pound scatback finished the season with 316 yards and one touchdown, both figures down from his totals of the previous year. But after undergoing surgery on both knees following the season and then recuperating in the spring, he hopes to be back on track in 2004 and give the Buckeyes a deft change-of-pace runner to complement Ross.
Freshmen hopefuls Tony Pittman and Erik Haw round out the running back corps.
Pittman enrolled in March and took part in spring practice. The 5-11, 190-pound yearling impressed the coaches with his quickness and vision. And he impressed the more than 45,000 fans in attendance at the spring game by rushing for 105 yards on 21 carries. In the 6-1, 210-pound Haw, the Buckeyes have an inside presence who has the speed to outrun defenders.
The 6-0, 235-pound Branden Joe returns at fullback. After playing a total of just five minutes in the first six games of 2003 because of a torn pectoral muscle, he returned to the lineup and was a catalyst down the stretch for the OSU running game. He wound up the year with 99 yards rushing on 27 carries, with 46 of those yards came in the Fiesta Bowl against a good Kansas State defense. The bruising senior can be very effective in a one-back set, or as a tailback.
Junior Brandon Schnittker, who started when Joe was hurt and is a two-year letterman, also returns at fullback. He, too, is a solid blocker, ball carrier and receiver and will see a lot of playing time.
The Defense
In addition to Smith (a first-round NFL draft choice) the Buckeyes must also replace tackles Tim Anderson and Darrion Scott (both third round draft picks) on the defensive line. But the 6-6, 280-pound Fraser will not be on an island as he returns for his senior year. In fact, if some of the young players progress as expected under the watchful eye of defensive line coach Jim Heacock, the Buckeyes depth along the defensive front might be even better this year than it was a year ago.
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Senior DE Simon Fraser. |
Junior Mike Kudla will take over for Smith at end while junior Marcus Green and sophomore Quinn Pitcock will be the starting defensive tackles. All three are veteran performers who were very much in the thick of things last year, combining for 41 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.
Fraser, who can be a dominant player, and Kudla give the Buckeyes two exceptionally quick and intelligent players on the edges. Green and Pitcock are tough, physical players who can fight off blockers and make plays.
Sophomore Jay Richardson, junior Redgie Arden, and redshirt freshmen Marcel Frost and Reggie Smith are four promising young ends. Judging by his play on the scout team last year, the 6-5, 255-pound Frost will be difficult to keep out of the rotation.
Sophomore defensive tackle David Patterson, a healthy 6-3 and 285, is already in that rotation. He played in 12 games last year as a true freshman and was a “regular” by the end of the year. He and Joel Penton, a third-year sophomore, are expected to be the primary backups for Green and Pitcock.
Redshirt freshmen Sian (she-on) Cotton and Brandon Maupin are expected to make their presence felt as well, meaning fans will need a program to keep track of who is in the game.
The Buckeyes have been been able to exert defensive pressure the past two years by keeping their front four fresh. Look for Heacock to employ more of the same strategy this year. The horses are there and he will give them their heads.
After two years as special teams coordinator Luke Fickell takes over as linebackers coach, replacing Mark Snyder who has been promoted to defensive coordinator.
Fickell inherits a star-studded cast that includes Hawk (a unanimous All-Big Ten selection last year), Bobby Carpenter and Mike D’Andrea – the top-rated group of linebackers in the country coming out of high school three years ago. In addition to those three, who are now juniors, transfers Anthony Schlegel (Air Force) and John Kerr (Indiana) will be eligible in the fall, and freshman Marcus Freeman (a winter quarter enrollee) was considered the top linebacker prospect in the Midwest last season.
Given that wealth of talent, it will be interesting to see how Fickell, who can also call on senior Thomas Matthews and redshirt freshman Curt Lukens, chooses to deploy his troops.
Hawk is a lock at one outside spot. He led the Buckeyes in tackles last year with 106 and is a big-play guy who already has been named to the Butkus Award watch list and several preseason All-America teams. He excels in every phase of the game and plays with a fire that infects his teammates.
Carpenter backed up Robert Reynolds last year at the other outside spot and had a solid season, finishing the year with 37 tackles and giving promise of great things to come. He and Hawk are very similar in their style of play. He is poised for a break-out year.
But while those two spots seem set, there is a potential logjam in the middle, where D’Andrea, Schlegel and Kerr all would like to pencil in their names.
D’Andrea shared time there last year with Fred Pagac Jr. until being sidelined with a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the last three games of the season. He finished the year with 24 tackles.
Schlegel (who led Air Force in tackles in 2002 with 116) and Kerr (who paced the Hoosiers that year with 114) took all the reps in the spring while D’Andrea was recovering from surgery. As a result, the Buckeyes have three solid players in the middle. All will play, making this one of the deepest, and best, linebacking corps in several years at Ohio State.
Fox is the acknowledged leader of the secondary. Now in his fourth year at the boundary corner, he is a veteran of 39 games and 28 starts at one of the toughest positions in football. An exceptional athlete, he led the team in solo tackles (55) and interceptions (3) last year and was second in passes broken up (9). He’s a tough, competitive leader who is undaunted in the face of adversity.
Junior E. J. Underwood and sophomore Ashton Youboty are the leading candidates to replace Gamble at the field corner. Both are gifted cover corners who can shut down a receiver. Tressel calls Underwood “the most talented corner I have ever coached.” Youboty, who also excels as a return man, isn’t far behind. Neither saw a lot of action last year playing behind Gamble, but that will change this year.
Senior Harlen Jacobs will backup Fox at the boundary. It was Jacobs who blocked a Kansas State punt in last year’s Fiesta Bowl, resulting in Ohio State’s first touchdown on the way to a 35-28 victory.
Incoming freshman Ted Ginn Jr. is another outstanding prospect. He was the nation’s top-rated cornerback and the USA Today defensive player of the year last year.
Nate Salley, one of the Buckeyes brightest young stars, returns at free safety. The 6-3, 205-pound junior started the final 11 games of the 2003 season and wound up the year with 77 tackles, the fifth highest total on the team. A fierce hitter with blazing closing speed, he should be even better in 2004 now that he has a year of experience under his belt.
Sophomore Donte Whitner has big shoes to fill at strong safety, where the Buckeyes have produced a first-team All-American in each of the past three years (Mike Doss in 2001 and 2002 and Will Allen last year). But Whitner is an outstanding young player, who made an early impression last year and wound up playing in all 13 games. The leading tackler among the freshmen with 22 stops, he also recorded a pair of interceptions. By year’s end, he was firmly entrenched as Allen’s backup and was the nickel back. He also scored a touchdown, recovering a blocked punt in the end zone in the Buckeyes’ 19-10 win over Iowa.
Junior Tyler Everett (18 tackles last year) and sophomore Brandon Mitchell (19 stops in 2003) are experienced and proven players capable of stepping in and performing at a high level.
In short, this is another talented secondary that will only get better under the tutelage of defensive backfield coach and assistant defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, who is one of the game’s best teachers.
The Kicking Game
Place-kicker Mike Nugent returns for his senior year. A first-team All-American in 2002, Nugent has been the model of consistency the past two years, setting 12 school records in that span. In addition to handling all placements, Nugent also kicks off. A nominee for the Lou Groza award each of the past two years, and a finalist in 2002, he will be in the running for that distinction again this year.
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Senior PK Mike Nugent. |
With 254 career points, Nugent is within striking distance of the OSU point record of 348, currently held by Pete Johnson. And with 48 career field goals, he seems a cinch to surpass the school record of 59 held by Dan Stultz.
Nugent has hit 48 of 61 field goal attempts at OSU, including 41 of 47 the past two years. Included in that total is a 53-yard kick against Iowa last year, the second longest field goal in Ohio Stadium history by a Buckeye. And he may be even stronger in 2004. In last spring’s kick scrimmage, he was successful from 57 yards out and was just short from 62.
Senior Josh Huston also returns. He has been the No. 1 backup the past two years and has excellent range and accuracy.
Huston is also in the hunt to replace Sander as the Buckeyes’ punter. Sander is coming off one of those storybook years in which he averaged 43.3 yards per punt and downed 39 of his 82 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. Time-and-again, he bailed the Buckeyes out of a tight spot and pinned the opposition deep in its own territory – a tough place to be against the rugged OSU defense. In addition to becoming the first Ohio State player to win the Ray Guy Award, he also won unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honors.
To say the least – especially given the emphasis that Tressel puts on punting – replacing Sander will not be easy. But Huston punted well in the spring, as did freshman A.J. Trapasso, who entered school at the start of spring quarter and showed a very strong leg in the kick scrimmage. Junior Kyle Turano is also in the hunt.
The long snapper duties will once again be in the capable hands of Kyle Andrews. Andrews, a former walk-on who has since been converted to scholarship, is in his third year as a starter at that all-important spot.
The Schedule
The Buckeyes open their season Sept. 4 by hosting the University of Cincinnati in Ohio Stadium, where Ohio State has won 16 consecutive games. The Bearcats are coached by former Ohio State defensive coordinator Mark Dantonio.
Marshall, a 27-20 upset winner over Kansas State last year, and North Carolina State complete the non-conference portion of the schedule. It will be the first ever meeting between Ohio State and Marshall, but the second straight against N. C. State. Topping last year’s game with the Wolfpack will not be easy. The Buckeyes won a three-overtime shootout in Columbus last fall in the longest game in school history. This year’s rematch will be in Raleigh.
The Buckeyes open the eight-game Big Ten card Oct. 2 at Northwestern. OSU returns home the following week to host Wisconsin. It was the Badgers who ended the Buckeyes 19-game winning streak last year with a 17-10 win in Madison.
Indiana, Penn State and Michigan complete the home schedule. The Buckeyes also play at Iowa, Michigan State and Purdue. The games at MSU and Purdue precede the home finale against Michigan.
Ohio State does not play either Illinois or Minnesota this year.
